Parentage
by Random Little Imp
Summary: When Sophia show's up on Bond's doorstep, he's not sure what to do.


One year, almost to the day, that's how long Margot had been working for MI6. She figured she'd seen it all by now. That was until she saw her boss, and friend, Q and his boyfriend, and top agent, talking in front of her desk, with Q holding what she could tell was a very young girl with dark hair. It took her completely by surprise. The child looked barely older than a year by her guess, thumb in her mouth, head buried in Q's neck. "Ah, did one of the girls from Logistics bring their daughter in?" Margot asked as she approached, instinctually reaching out to take hold of the small child. The toddler turned at the sound of Margot's voice, looking at her with very familiar ice blue eyes, "Oh?" taking the girl as she reached out for Margot, she looked from the child to Bond and then to Q and back, "Oh! Well that's not what I was expecting."

"I told you James. There is no denying her parentage, you can have Medical run a paternity test but I can tell you what the results are going to be." Q looked at his agent, who was becoming more and more exasperated.

"I had no idea Q, I swear. Ana never got in touch after I, well, met up with her on the Rio mission."

"James, relax. I believe you. Ana always kept things close to the chest. She wanted out of the game anyhow, I'm sure this seemed like the perfect way into a desk job. She wouldn't have thought for a second that she needed to mention any of it to you." Q was calm for someone who just found out his better half had a child with a past lover. But that was Q, rational to a fault. "I doubt she had ever thought she'd be killed in something as mundane as a car accident."

Margot had been listening in without comment, content to just stand by tickling the happy toddler in her arms, "Wait, her mother's dead," she whispered the last word as if to spare the child, "with no other family?"

"Some officials from the Brazilian government showed up at my flat this morning with a truck full of boxes and Sophia, no warning. Ana was an orphan, like me, so no other family we know of. She had me on the birth certificate as the father so they brought the child to me." The unflappable agent looked like he was about to start pulling out his own hair. "What am I supposed to do here, I'm due to leave for Kosovo in an hour. I can't exactly take her with me."

"We'll have to get a Nanny for her. I'm sure MI6 has a list of vetted care givers; you're not the only person here with a child. You'll also need a larger flat as well. You'll have to update your on file will as well." Q suggested.

"I can keep an eye on her for a day or two, if you like," Margot added, "until you find someone permanent. I practically babysat my way through high school. I could also get a couple techs together to go unpack her things, if you don't mind us in your flat. I believe Ellis said something about working at a professional baby proofing company for a while during his university years."

Bond couldn't believe he was discussing finding a vetted nanny and baby proofing his flat. This was not a conversation he ever thought he'd have, especially not with Q. Biology notwithstanding, he never for a moment expected to have offspring. Q seemed to be taking this news better than he was, and the child seemed to like him. Could this actually work? James Bond, family man? Finally giving into the impossible situation Bond pulled out his wallet and keys, "Here are the keys to the flat, do whatever you need to, and here is my credit card to buy anything she needs that's not already there. I need to get going. They better have scotch on the plane."

"Should I be worried about my girl holding someone else's baby? Don't need her getting any ideas." Alec chose that moment to walk up to the small group of friends, smacking James on the shoulder, thinking his friend would laugh along with him. Alec was a bit surprised when he just groaned. Alec looked at the child as she turned towards the newcomer. One glance from those blue eyes and he knew all he needed to, "Oh James, weren't you paying attention when they taught us about safe sex in school?"

"That's it, I'm leaving. Good luck Margot, I'll see you when I get back." James gave Alec a little shove as he walked out of Q Branch.

"Thank you Margot, you are a life saver. I'll put in the paperwork to get you some paid leave. Take whoever you need for the day to get her settled in. I'll start interviewing nannies later today." Q kissed the child on the head and then wandered back to his office with a sigh.

Margot looked at Alec, "Hope you didn't have any plans for today, your smart ass comment just got you volunteered for the heavy lifting." Sophia gave a well timed giggle at his expense.

By the time James got back to London a week later, Sophia was settled into her new life, even if he wasn't. Q had found a very qualified and fully vetted live in nanny. Margot asked him if he had chosen the least attractive candidate on purpose. Q insisted he didn't know what she was talking about, that Beatrice came with strong references, as well as a black belt in Karate.

Tanner had secured him a large, three bedroom house on the outskirts of London and had all of Bond's belongings moved there. When he did return to his new home, he found Q had made sure everything was set up to his liking, and that Sophia had plenty of areas for her to safely play. James wasn't sure how he felt about the brightly colored plastic slide and playhouse that occupied a corner of the garden though. The first day he spent a lot of time just watching Beatrice as she played with Sophia, or fed her. Taking note of the way to carry her and bathe her. He knew that eventually these were things he would be asked to do.

James soon found that he loved to hear her laugh, and when she would smile at him his heart would warm a little more. By the second day he was feeling more relaxed with her and when Beatrice asked for a couple hours to run errands, he was only mildly nervous. Sophia was napping at the time, and he just sat there next to the crib, silently watching her little chest go up and down with each tiny breath.

He had to admit, it wasn't completely abhorrent to him to have something of himself continue on should he not make it back from a mission. He also realized that if something were to happen Sophia would be alone, he would have to find a willing guardian for her. The only one he would consider was Q, but he needed to ask him if he would be willing to take on the responsibility. James also decided to call his bank and have a trust set up in her name. He had more than enough money saved up that he could start it with a good sum and continue adding to it until he was satisfied she would be taken care of.

Q came by on the third evening, after finally getting out of Q branch, to find James was actually feeding Sophia some pasta and green beans. When she grabbed a handful and threw it at the Bond's very expensive looking, silk tie Q expected him to become upset. To his surprise, James made a comically shocked face and then laughed along with the child. James seemed to have truly become at ease with fatherhood, and it made Q feel even stronger towards the man then he already did.

Sophia softened James edges and calmed his after mission nerves. Her affect on him was nothing short of magical. He smiled more easily, and was more focused on his work, getting more accomplished in a shorter amount of time so he could get back home to her. Q might have been jealous if James didn't try to include him every chance he got. Picnics at the park on their days off, play dates and shopping trips, they were about as close as any family unit could be. When James did ask Q about the guardianship issue, the younger man was more than happy to take that responsibility, although he didn't like the thought of something happening to James.

When Sophia took her first steps a month after arriving in his life, James couldn't be more proud. He could no longer remember why he had been so worried about being a parent to her, and couldn't imagine life without her. So when Tanner came down to Q's office one afternoon while he and James were having lunch the news was surprising.

"The results of your paternity test came back from medical." Tanner announced as he entered the room, he glanced over at Q then back to James silently asking if it was safe to speak.

"Whatever you have to say can be said in front of Q, not that it's a big secret." James said before taking another bite of his lunch.

"Do you really have to be so formal about it Tanner, I think we all know what the results say already." Q added with a smile to James.

"Actually, she's not yours."

James stopped and looked up at Tanner, "What are you talking about, of course she is, have you seen her."

"It would appear you are not the only man in the world with blue eyes." Tanner said matter of factly, "If you like I could have someone sent over to your place to collect her this afternoon."

"Collect her? To be sent where, she has no other family." James was getting angry at the thought that someone was going to take away his daughter, to hell with what the stupid test said.

"I thought you'd be relieved to be free of the responsibility 007." Tanner looked curiously at the agent.

"Sophia is not going anywhere. According to her birth certificate I am her father, and that is the way it's going to stay. You can burn the test results, pretend they were never existed. I'm not letting her get sent into the system when she has a perfectly good home with me. Are we clear?" James was standing now, poking his finger into Tanner's chest, stabbing at him with every word. Q wasn't sure he could love this man more than he did in that moment.

"Of course Bond, consider this conversation as having never even happened." Tanner took a step back and turned to leave, "You have a beautiful daughter. I can't wait to see you when she starts dating." He added with a smirk before walking out.

Q swore he could actually see the color drain from James face, "How old do they need to be to join a convent?"


End file.
